Post by Charles Frémont

Since joining UEFA, I’ve worked on many innovation projects—but these ones stand out! Because when innovation meets purpose, and when it’s shaped by and for people, it becomes transformational. Over the past months, my team at the UEFA Innovation Hub has had the privilege to deliver a programme that’s close to my heart: the Innovation Programme for UEFA Women's EURO 2025. Together with our partners adidas, Amazon, The Walt Disney Company, Swiss academic institutions (HEAD – Genève, University of Art and Design, Université de Genève, HEIG-VD and ETH Game Technology Center), Association Suisse de Football (ASF), and local grassroots clubs, we tackled real challenges in the women’s game—from redesigning changing rooms to be more inclusive, to rethinking coaching styles, inspiring future female coaches, and keeping young girls engaged in football after their first steps in the game. Each pilot was grounded in real-life needs, tested locally, and designed to be scalable across Europe. And while the prototypes and data are exciting, what truly moves me is the human impact: teenage girls feeling more welcome in their clubs, young women seeing themselves as coaches, and families bonding through football-themed play. Grateful to all our wonderful collaborators for making this journey so meaningful: Emma Sykes, Alyssa Lagonia, Eliott Castille, Jérôme Lanci, Patrick Karrer, Simon Husslein, Chiara Kocis, Julien C., Eva von Boenninghausen, Laurent Berthelot, Laurent Bolli, Harry Zelenka Martin, Carly Clark, Fabio Zünd, Nicole Morse, Jane Gaskin-Smith and many others! 🔗 For more details: https://lnkd.in/eVFE8cs2